Zelda was dying. It was a sobering thought, one she had had the misfortune of coming to terms with for awhile now. There was something horribly wrong with her heart. No amount of drugs or surgery could fix it. The only thing that could was a donor heart. And there was the second hard fact Zelda had come to accept. Despite all her father's money and connections, there were no donor hearts that matched her rare blood type. At the tender age of seventeen years old Zelda heard the words leave a doctor's lips. Nothing more could be done. She would die before she turned twenty five unless they found that miracle heart.

Zelda shut her eyes as she tried to relax into the hospital bed pillows. She slept so much now but being awake made her feel her impending death creeping up on her. She'd survived this long enough. In two weeks she would turn twenty four. A dark thought entered her mind. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to stop fighting. Maybe she should give into the blissful call of eternal sleep.

XxX

The next thing Zelda knew she was being woken up, a dozen nurses rushing into her room and turning on blinding lights. She whined as she rubbed at her eyes, wondering what brought so many of them in.

"Zelda! Zelda honey wake up!" the head nurse named Peach loomed over her as she heard the sound of a gurney being wheeled in.

"What's going on?" Zelda asked hoarsely, trying to focus on the blonde's face as she unhooked several machines.

"We just had a car crash victim come in, the poor girl got hit by a drunk driver and died in the operating room. The silver lining though honey," she paused in her unhooking to give Zelda a warm smile, "is she was an organ donor and a perfect match for you. We're taking you into surgery now."

Zelda's brain struggled to process the information. She was getting some poor dead girl's heart... Then it hit her. She, who was ready to accept death with open arms, could live. A smile graced her lips as they loaded her onto the gurney, Zelda's eyes on the overhead lights as they rolled past them to the elevator. She could live.

XxX

They made it to the big swinging doors of the operating room area, a loud and pained cry catching Zelda's attention. She moved her head to the side, catching sight of a woman with free flowing dark blue hair wailing, a man with spiky matching hair wrapping an arm around her tightly. She didn't get a good look before she was wheeled to the back, the doors swinging shut behind her muffled the woman's wails, but her gut told her that was the family of her donor. She felt a pang of guilt at the thought. Here she was, happy at a chance for life, when some family had just lost a dear member.

"Here honey," Peach's voice pulled her from her depressed thoughts as she was moved from the gurney to the table, a doctor coming in and washing his hands. Zelda felt the mask Peach placed over her face, listening to her instructions to breathe deeply. Zelda inhaled, tasting the slightest bit of whatever she was inhaling. Immediately her eyes grew heavy, almost drooping of their own accord.

"So Doctor Mario," a different nurse asked, "did you end up getting your truck?"

"No no, I went with..." their words faded out, Zelda wanting to snap and ask them if this was really the time to discuss such things, but found herself slipping into oblivion.

XxX

Zelda awoke in a completely different room, the lights thankfully turned low. She took in a deep breath and winced. Her entire chest hurt. With a shaky hand she pressed the call button for the nurses station on the side of the bed and waited. "We'll be right there Miss Nohansen," a voice crackled over the intercom. Not a minute later two nurses walked into her room followed by an exhausted looking Doctor Mario.

"Hello Miss Nohansen," he called with a tired smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "How do you feel?"

"Like someone broke my ribcage and cut out my heart," she rasped out, making the doctor chuckle. A nurse stepped forward with some icy cold water and Zelda gratefully took a sip from the offered cup.

"Well considering that's what happened, I'm glad to hear it," he said with a lingering chuckle. "The good news is that the surgery went off without a hitch, no trouble whatsoever, and your body is showing no signs of rejecting the donor heart."

"Any bad news?" Zelda asked, taking another sip from the offered cup.

"None," he said with a soft smile as he looked over the paper streaming from her heart monitor. "There are of course limitations due to the surgery. No strenuous physical activity for the rest of your life, you'll need to take medications for rest of your life... If it's not too bold to say the newfound limitations should feel like freedoms compared to your life previously." Zelda's lips twitched into a smile as she tried to nod. "You'll remain in this room in the ICU for a few days, then we'll move you back to your old room and, if all goes well, you'll be discharged within a month."

"Thank you Doctor," she managed to whisper, meaning more than thanks for the words. His eyes crinkled with another smile as he nodded, showing he understood what her words were trying to convey.

"Rest up now, we'll check on you later." Zelda shut her eyes, listening to the steady beep of the heart rate monitor as she fell back asleep.

XxX

The next few days passed in a blur of blood tests and various other tests to check for signs of rejection Zelda didn't bother trying to remember all of the names to. Her body felt incredibly weak, she slept constantly, and barely ate. Finally one morning Peach came in with happy eyes and a bounce in her step.

"Hello honey," she said softly and Zelda gave her a smile.

"Here for more blood?" she asked and Peach shook her blonde head.

"No no no... You have a visitor if you're up to it. Your brother is here." Zelda felt her smile grow wider at the mention of her brother and nodded. Peach vanished a minute later Link walked in, his eyes red from tears unshed as he stared at her.

"Zel," he barely breathed and she held out a hand. He ran forward, gripping her hand tightly as he collapsed on the bed, burying his face in her arm. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"Me too," she admitted in a soft whisper and he looked up at her.

"I couldn't lose you," he said, a tear coming from his eyes, "I couldn't I-"

"You don't need to worry Link," she reassured him. "The doctor said it's amazing but I'm showing zero signs of rejection and my tests are all coming back positive..." she trailed off, her mind flitting to the woman with deep blue hair in the lobby on her way to the surgery that saved her life. "Do you know who the donor was?" she asked and Link nodded, pulling out his phone.

"There was an article in the paper about her," he said as he tapped away, wiping his eye with a free hand as he pulled it up. "Here," he held out the thin device and Zelda took it, her heart pounding at the picture of the crash. Her eyes reluctantly moved from the gruesome scene to the words below it.

"Mist Greil... Drunk driver hit her car..." Zelda looked up at her brother. "This says she has a brother and mother... Those poor people."

"Hey hey hey," Link said soothingly, "don't get depressed on me. Her heart went to an amazing person and I heard Peach tell another nurse that her other organs, tissue, and blood were rushed out to other hospitals. This girl... She saved more lives in one night than most people do in their entire lives." Zelda gave him a smile as she handed back the phone, hearing her door open.

"Hey Zelda," Peach smiled, wheeling in a wheelchair, "guess where you're going?"

"Not more blood tests," she whined and Peach laughed. "You guys have enough of my blood to feed an army of vampires."

"No honey, I'm taking you back to your room, the doctor said you're safe to go."

"Can I help?" Link asked and Peach nodded.

"You can push but I need to get her out of the bed."

XxX

The way back was silent, Zelda resting a hand on top of Link's as they rode up the elevator. "Hey Link," she started carefully, "where are Mom and Dad?"

"Out of the country on business," he said and Zelda scowled. Of course business came first.

The rest of the trip back to the room was silent. They made it to her door and Zelda sighed as she was wheeled in. It was just the same as always. Same bed, same obnoxious flower painting on the wall, same window, same... Zelda stared at the new bouquet of roses on her bedside table, looking to Link curiously. "Did you get those for me?" she asked and he gave her a look.

"Me? The guy with crazy stupid allergies go into a flower shop? Come on," he said and Zelda smiled. Peach helped her into the bed before turning to the roses and handing them to her. As Zelda found the card amongst the soft pink petals Peach hooked up the machines, the beeping of the heart monitor starting up in a steady rhythm.

Zelda opened the card, staring at the words written in dark blue ink for a moment before they started to sink in.

'Hi my name's Ike Greil. You received my sister's heart the other day. I hope everything is going well and if it is I have a huge favor to ask. My mom isn't taking losing Mist well and I think her getting the chance to talk to you would help. I know this is a lot to ask, but please think about it and let me know. -Ike'

"What's it say? Who's it from?" Link's voice pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up at him.

"It's from my heart donor's brother. He wants me to meet his mom... She's not taking the loss of Mist well."

"Wow," Link said with a stunned look, "that's a heavy thing to ask of a stranger... Are you going to?" Zelda bit her lips together in thought, worrying the lower one between her teeth before she sighed.

"I can't ever thank Mist, but if this would help her mother how could I refuse?" she asked and Link stared at her a moment before a smile broke out on his face. Zelda looked down at the number written at the bottom of the note before looking back at her brother. "Can you get my phone from the table?" she asked and he nodded.

He grabbed the phone and handed it to her, pressing a kiss into her hair. "I've gotta get back to work... I'll leave you to your call." She smiled up at him, watching him leave the room before she turned her eyes back to the card. With a steadying breath she nodded. She would do this.

XXX

This is the start of a new story, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. The thing the doctor and nurse talk about right before the surgery happened to me right before the one surgery I've had in my life and I was ten. I freaked out. Ha. Anyway let me know what you think so far! Much love, Leigh